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Parachute Creek benzene value exceeds safe federal level

The contamination of Parachute Creek after an industry spill is worsening with the level of cancer-causing benzene exceeding the federal safe drinking water standard.

Creek water tests found benzene reaching 5.3 parts per billion at the sampling spot closest to the spill from a pipeline at Williams' gas-processing plant, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The limit for safe drinking water is 5 ppb. However, Colorado water quality overseers have set the limit for benzene in Parachute Creek at 5,300 ppb because the creek isn't designated as a water source for people.

Benzene dissipates at two sampling locations downstream. No benzene was detected in a test last week where the creek flows into the Colorado River.

"None of the surface water sampling results demonstrate the water is a risk to public health," CDPHE spokesman Mark Salley said in an e-mailed response. "Remediation actions continue and will be modified if appropriate to respond to sampling that indicates a significant change in the characterization of the site."

Williams crews have been aerating the creek and pumping air underground into soil — to try to remove benzene into air.

"While the one test site is showing a slight increase in benzene, other sites downstream remain static or show no detection," Williams spokesman Tom Droege said in an e-mailed response. "We believe this indicates that our remediation efforts ..... are helping us make progress."

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Williams now will add an additional blower to increase aeration of creek water, Droege said. Eight more "air sparging" wells to strengthen removal of benzene, he said.

Diesel-range organic chemicals also have been detected in the creek since the spill was revealed publicly on March 16.

The creek normally feeds a Parachute town reservoir used for irrigation. But town officials have kept a headgate, 1.5 miles downstream from the gas plant, closed.

The latest tests did not detect benzene at the headgates.

Benzene in groundwater near the spill has reached much higher levels. CDPHE and Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission officials asked Williams to dig trenches along the creek and pump out hydrocarbons from groundwater. This was meant to prevent contaminated groundwater from reaching the creek.

State officials initially said creek water flows into groundwater, not the other way around. The officials later said hydrology can be varied and that groundwater also could be seeping in along parts of the creek.

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